CASNR News Center

Texas Tech University brought home the school’s tenth national championship in meat judging on Sunday (Nov. 18) at the American Meat Science Association’s International Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest in Dakota City, Neb. Tech won the beef judging, lamb judging, pork judging, specifications, placings and reasons divisions, and finished second in total beef and beef grading.

Texas Tech won the contest by a 50-point margin, pacing a winning season in which it won five of six national contests. The remaining teams in the top-five at the International Intercollegiate included Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Michigan State and Angelo State.

“One of the most impressive things about this team is how well they responded to adversity,” said Mark Miller, said Mark Miller, Tech’s coach and the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Distinguished Chair in Meat Science. “They courageously came back from a loss at the Eastern and committed themselves to working hard as a team to win decisively at the American Royal, Cargill and the International.”

Individual placements were:

Bo Hutto, a junior from Hondo, high-ranked individual

Valerie Manning, a junior from Mabank, second

Colton Christian, a junior from Farwell, fifth

In the alternate division, Texas Tech had three of the top-ten individuals overall. They are:

Heather Rode, a junior from Doss, high-ranked individual

Tanner Adams, junior from Sanger, fourth

Steven Ebeling, a junior from Plainview, sixth

Additional team members included Weston Burson, a junior from Florence; Dan Crownover, a junior from Italy; Garydale Grubelnik, a junior from Raton, N.M.; Trevor King, a junior from Winnsboro; Zac Miller, a junior from Seymour; and Dewayne Phillips, a junior from Stephenville.

Hutto and Crownover were both named First Team All-American team members. Manning was named a Second Team All-American team member. The members of the All-American Teams are selected based upon scholastic achievement and competition performance.

The prestigious Rachel Hamilton Spirit Award, an award given in recognition of the commitment, dedication and teamwork displayed during a team member’s meat judging career, was given to Zac Miller. The team was coached by graduate students Collin Corbin and Henry Ruiz, along with Miller.

Texas Tech now boasts a total of ten national championships in intercollegiate meat judging (1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012). Since 2000, the Red Raiders have dominated meat judging competitions winning more than 55 percent of all national contests. During the past four years, they have won 27 out of the past 34 competitions.